2024 11 06 – 12 15 Exhibited at Photography gallery (Vasario 16-osios str. 11, Panevėžys)
Opening November 6, 5 p.m.
Authors: Basile Alexiou, Karina Kazlauskaite, Kristina Pipiraite, Klaus Leo Richter, Americo dos Santos Hunguana.
Phases of transition, where space and time cross each other. Configurations of difference and identity, past and present, inside and outside, inclusion and exclusion are formed when people find themselves ‘in-between’.
It is in this liminal space, where we may find the words with which we can speak of ourselves and others. And by exploring it we may start to dream about escaping the politics of polarity and possibly emerge as the others of ourselves.
The exhibition is a vague attempt of grasping the fleeting moments of transitions, out of which we emerge changed.
But it also considers a possibility of remaining stuck in a betwixt stage. A stage of endless possibilities, always in the making, never complete.
Each one of the artists in their series, deliberate or unwittingly, deals with the topic in a way that is interwoven with their own identity of time and place. A dialogue is built between the different, but related works.
Basile Alexiou (Luxembourg/Germany) – ‘Our quiet signs’ and ‘2481 Days’
By the juxtaposition of two series Basile Alexiou goes beyond the mere depiction of liminal spaces and enters the realm of his family’s and personal journey of grief.
His series touches topics of farewell, solitude and seclusion, leaving the viewer with an uncanny feeling of inevitable timeless loss.
Karina Kazlauskaite (Lithuania) and Klaus Leo Richter (Austria/Lithuania) – ‘Galva’
The video work shows the artist Karina Kazlauskaite washing her hair in different environments of rural Lithuania. By choosing unusual sites, the washing act carries an element of absurdity. It is a reference to time and space in the Lithuanian countryside, where until recently it was still common to wash oneself with just a bucket full of water. The washing can be read as a ritual situated between past and present, between one’s individual transformation in connection to changes in society.
Kristina Pipiraite (Lithuania/Norway) – ‘Untitled’
I capture the fleeting transition from private to public moments in these photographs. As a housekeeper in a hotel, I witnessed traces of anonymous experiences lingering in the creases of bed linens—visual metaphors of personal stories left behind. Through my work, these imprints vanished into the orderly routine imposed by industry standards. Themes of loneliness, separation, and the search for connection emerged as central to this series.
Americo dos Santos Hunguana (Mocambique/Germany) – ‘The ghost of ‘Praca de Touros’:
The series depicts the historical bullfighting arena ‘Praca de Touros’ in Maputo, Mozambique. During colonial times, the arena was an entertainment venue for the mainly white male, Portuguese elite. After Mozambique gained independence in 1975 bullfighting was not practiced anymore and the site was abandoned. Up until today it has no entertaining function. While empty inside, in the rooms of the outer walls the local community opened a vast array of shops, garages, barbers, etc. It is a work of memories of different periods, all written in one place. A link between past and future possibilities of numerous combinations. A reconstruction of the memory. The arena is a stable part of Maputo, a ghost in an ever-evolving city.